Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-11-14
house of Antoine LIE Claire. of the

first night spent in the log cabin of Jonah
Case, and of his meeting with Col.
George Davenport and of the latter's
many kindnesses and friendship toward
him He had preached fiom Springfield
and O9uawka to Fit. Stevenson and Rock
Island. and from here up as far as Gale,
ma. and from the Missouri state line to
st. Anthony's Falls. The country had
grown up since then; the people and
church had prospered and become
mighty. The prosperity of the Melho-
dist church was source of pride. 1t
now had 100000 members The
Methodists were the pioneers; others had
waited until the ground was broken and
the field prepared. He had preached the
first sermon ever delivered in Toledo,
Ohio where there was now population
of 100000. and had in his time made
over 10000 converts to christianity. and
he felt proud OF the church and his SER
wees to 1t. Coming to the sermon
proper, the reverend gentleman took for
his text Acts. 24-25:
And as reasoned of righteousness, temperance
and Judgment to come, Felix irembled and
swered, 60 thy way FOR this time; when | have
a conve nient season will call for Thee"
St. Paul was one of the most distin>
guished of the apostles in his work and
character. Previous to his conversion be
had been a prosecutor of christians and
while such engaged in the vilest and
lowest acts of wickedness. but Jesus
Christ had subdued him. He had heed
ed the light and voice from Jerusalem
and obeyed the Lords commands and
thus became the prosecuted and hated
apostle of the Gentiles His prosecutors,
the Jews. had finally succeeded in cap
turing him. The speaker here went over
| Pauls encounter with his enemies who
| demanded his death, his confinement
was taken before Felix. the magistrate
that he might examine his faith and learn
of his religion, of his argument upon the
propositions of righteousness. temper
ance and Judgment TO come and their
effect upon the governor as eylnced by
his final decision as given in the text.
His manner of preaching was Judicious
and becoming; he did not present him
self before a judge and then boast of
| victory-he reasoned and felt his grasp.
A minister's true place was not that OF
orator or philosopher. but as minister OF
God bringing the religion of Jesus Christ,
the cruclfied That apostle felt this when
he stood before Felix and reasoned with
him as was evinced by his defense and its
correctness by the final decision of the
magistrate. Paul was a temperance lee
turer and made that subject one of his
arguments before the governor. TEN
perance WAS considered political ques-
ton in these days but he thought it was
more properly moral one.
Pani's argument had satisfactory in.
fluence on Felix. and wherever the Cos.
pei of Jesus Christ was preached in it
power and as God had intended it to b.
it could not fail of having the desired
effect. Speaking of intidels he had neve
known an infidel to marry one of his owl
belief in Gods world, they would invar
iably pick out the best woman in thu
church. because they were afraid TO trus
one of their own kind. What, he asked
had done the one hundredth part toward
civilization that the gospel had done il
the last century? Paine, Volitare, Inger
soil and other atheists had poured GU
their volumes and lifted their voice
against it, but the fiercer their oppositio
the more it had multiplied and grown
We might well say in the fullness of th
heart, roll on, roll on, thou immorts
4 God, until the islands of the sea and tn
u most desolate corners of the earth sha
- reverbate with his praise. This veners
-" BILE preacher, on whose scarcely gra
head the joys and sorrow of nearly eight
- summers rest but lightly, is possessed c
9 vigor and activity which are indeed IT
il markable in one of his advanced year
He has clear penetrating voice, Whit
was heard distinctly in every part of IL
At large church, and he is at times real
: eloquent His sermon was one of UNI
sual interest